If your home has a backyard patio, chances are you have the type of door unit which is a sliding style. These are great items for use with a patio area because they allow for easy access in and out of the home. This is true for the people who live in the home, and also for those who don’t. If you want to protect your home from intruders, you need some patio door locks. The most common style of patio sliding door lock is the standard mechanism which uses a key.

This particular style will have a lever on the inside of the frame for where your patio window is on the door. This lever can be moved up and down to place it in the lock position or to unlock it. The patio door lock should also be used on the accompanying screens used for the area. Usually a door of this style will have a sliding screen unit so you can have the door open during warm weather to allow fresh air into the house. This screen usually comes with an inner tab which can be connected to an adjacent hook to secure the screen.

The design of a screen lock mechanism is not the same as for the sliding patio door locks. There is usually no way to unlock a screen from the outside once it has been secured. The outer locks used for the main window portion of your door are very easy to operate by all members of your household. It is important to lock your home when you intend to be away for a period of time. This applies to all the doors as well as to the windows. A well secured home poses less of an invitation to any would be intruder so you are much less likely to be robbed.